An earthquake, flood, fire, or severe storm can strike at any time — and you and your family may not be together when it does.
How will you find each other if separated? What about household members who have medical conditions? And what if your cell phones or networks are out of power?
Crafting an emergency plan before a disaster hits gives you time to discuss your family’s needs and circumstances, review possible scenarios, and decide on the best options together. Schedule a time when the whole family can participate. You may need one or two additional meetings to finalize all the details.
Here’s what you’ll need to cover:
1. Make A Plan of Action
Smart planning entails talking through a number of situations and “what-ifs.” Start by brainstorming around the following (and remember that coronavirus may affect some answers).
What natural disasters are we most likely to experience?
Re-opening across the country means parents may be going back to work and kids back to school. Are there other locations, such as after-school programs, childcare, gyms or volunteer sites that family members regularly attend? Consider those when answering the following:
If separated during an emergency, where should we meet near our home?
If meeting near home is impossible for some or all family members, what’s our meeting place?
If we are separated, who is our emergency contact outside of our immediate area?
3. Specific Needs of Family Members
Remember to tailor your plan to address any particular needs of/by family members, such as:
Medical needs including prescriptions and equipment
Dietary needs
Medical conditions, disabilities or functional needs, especially those requiring devices and equipment
Language barriers or limitations
Ages of all household members, including school-aged children
Pets or service animals
Religious and cultural considerations
5. Fill Out the Plan
After discussing the above, it’s time to get it all down on paper. Be sure to capture the following as well.
All the contact information for each household member.
Who’s responsible for what during the disaster? Tasks might include things like retrieving the disaster kit, evacuating pets, and fielding disaster updates and alerts.
Create a personal network of friends, family or neighbors for things you might need help with.
Make sure you have one or more out-of-town contacts for emergencies.
Numbers for important contacts such as utilities, financial companies, childcare and caregivers, veterinarians, and insurance companies.
6. Share & Practice
During an emergency, cellular networks and wi-fi may be unreliable, and computers and phones may be lost or out of power. In these cases, having a paper copy of your family disaster plan can save precious time, minimize stress and prevent unnecessary emergencies. So, make sure each family member has a copy and carries it with them in a purse, backpack or work bag (here’s a template plan that fits in your wallet). Have regular family meetings to review the plan and practice. Finally, do a thorough review every 6 months or so, to update information or responsibilities.
7. Resources
Check out these resources to get your plan disaster-ready.
Disaster plan templates here (American Red Cross) and here (FEMA).
Stay current on coronavirus updates at this CDC page.
The perfect time to make a plan is right now. Getting all your family members on board and in the know sooner rather than later will ensure that you’re all ready when you need to be.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
Warmer weather is on the horizon and you know what that means? it’s time to break out the gas and charcoal and grill up some juicy meals! But even grilling comes with its fair share of hazards. A small grill fire could easily lead to a home in flames. In fact, on average 10,200 house fires are started by grills each year, which estimates to be about a combined $37 million in property loss.
So, whether you are grilling for enjoyment, to host family and friends, or just for that savory flavor of summer, follow these simple grilling safety tips to help prevent a house fire:
1. Grill at least 10 feet from your home or garage
The farther away from any structures or home decor the better
2. Do not grill under any overhangs or structures
This includes branches, wires, carports, awnings, etc.
3. Do not leave your grill unattended
It only takes one minute for a fire to double in size
4. Turn on your grill and light your gas right away
Don’t wait, if the gas builds up it can cause an explosion
5. Make sure your grill is not leaking
Test it! Spray your tank with soapy water, if the water bubbles, you’ve got a leak
6. Keep your grill clean
Caked-on grease acts as fuel and will only make a fire stronger
7. Do not put too much food on at once
-Dripping fat will only make the flames stronger
8. Keep water or an extinguisher close by-
If a small fire were to start, you can catch and extinguish it at the source
9. Never grill indoors
A spark or flare-up could easily catch something on fire, plus grills release carbon monoxide, which can be deadly
10. Let your grill completely cool off before moving or covering it
Wait 2-3 hours after use and touch it with your hands, if it is still warm, then wait another 2-3 hours before moving or covering
While you’re enjoying your burger, all it takes is one ember on a cooling, unattended grill to bring your whole home down in flames. Have peace of mind knowing that should anything happen, your home will be protected by the proper homeowner’s insurance coverage.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
According to the National Weather Service, drought conditions are expected to persist through the summer across many western states. If you’re a homeowner in a drought-prone area, that means monitoring water usage, thinking ahead to fire prevention and safety, and maintaining landscaping with drought tolerance in mind.
But there’s one more thing to think about: your foundation.
Drought threatens the integrity of your home’s structure in many ways and can end up costing tens of thousands in foundation repairs if problems are not caught early. Here are some of the most common signs of foundation stress or damage, and what you can do about it.
What’s Going On Under Your House?
When dry conditions persist, the soil under your home can lose enough moisture that it shifts and buckles, causing your foundation to crack. When rain finally returns, the soil soaks it up and expands, lifting up your foundation again, which can cause more cracking or unevenness. If your home, like most, has tree roots under it then the roots can draw moisture from the soil, adding to the problem.
Signs You Have a Problem…
A cracking foundation can cause a domino effect of problems up through the house. Here are some signs you might have issues.
Cracks in rigid wall surfaces such as brick, concrete, stucco, tile, and drywall
Windows and doors that begin sticking or become misaligned
Leaks in the basement
Broken pipes
Gaps along cabinets, baseboards or outdoor trim
Misalignment where your foundation meets an exterior wall
Floors that sink or slope
Cracked basement floor
Cracked or shifted chimneys
Cracked asphalt and pavement on driveways or walkways
What To Do About It
Do a careful inspection of your home inside and out. If you see cracks, take photos, measure, and record them so you have a history to compare with in the future. If the cracks are minor or few, just keep an eye on them. If you see anything serious or worrying, contact a professional. You want to prevent any foundational issues before they cause serious (and expensive) damage. Here are some preventive measures you can take to keep the ground under your home moist:
Install a water system around your home.
Add a few inches of mulch to your landscaping area.
Plant drought-tolerant and fire-resistant shrubs and groundcover, which will hold moisture in the ground and keep it shaded, preventing evaporation.
Keep up with weeding (weeds are thirsty).
Plant any new trees far enough from the foundation to keep roots at a distance.
As always in drought-prone areas, practice water conservation inside and outdoors.
Catching foundation problems before they get serious entails some extra time and attention on your part but will help you avoid costly repairs or even replacement of your foundation.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
Did you know that many of the homes destroyed by wildfire actually caught fire from within the structure? This is because embers made their way inside the house through vents, windows, chimneys, or other openings.
Embers can travel more than a mile out ahead of the main fire body, igniting any dry fuel or easily ignited materials in their path. If they land on or become lodged in combustible materials on, in or near your house, they’ll gain a toehold and ignite.
To protect your home from an ember attack this fire season, check its exterior and perimeter for vulnerabilities, then fix, replace, adjust and clean as needed.
The First Line of Defense: Stop the Embers From Entering
Once an ember gets into your home it can burn out of control incredibly quickly. Block entry points by inspecting the following.
Vents – Install 1/8th inch metal mesh screening on attic, foundation, and eave vents to prevent embers from being sucked into your home.
Roofs – Replace wood shingles with non-combustible or fire-resistant roofing. Repair or replace any loose tiles and plug any openings.
Gutters – Remove dry fuels (dead leaves, pine needles, debris) from gutters and roof.
Siding and Trim – Caulk any gaps and replace materials as needed. Fire experts recommend having 5-6 inches of exposed concrete at the base of your house, rather than having siding reaching all the way to the ground where it’s vulnerable to embers. Finally, if you’re in a fire-prone area, consider fire-resistant siding or treatments.
Eaves – Eaves can be an entry point of fire getting into your attic. Cover them with sheathing and use fire-resistant materials where possible. Use tightly fitted joints (such as tongue and groove) instead of butt joints.
Chimneys and Stovepipes – Block out embers by installing a spark arrestor.
Skylights – The safest are double-paned glass, and one of the panes should be tempered glass. Replace any plastic skylights. If the fire is threatening, close skylights.
Windows – Replace non-tempered, single-pane windows with tempered, multi-paned glass. As with skylights, close all windows if a fire is possible.
Garage Door – Close doors as tightly as possible to prevent embers from entering. Consider using trim around the garage door opening to reduce gaps. Be sure the door is closed if there’s a chance of fire approaching.
The Second Line of Defense: Your 0-5 ft Perimeter
If an ember lands on dry, combustible fuel right at the edge of your home, it can spark a structure fire in seconds. Minimize those chances by looking at the following.
Decks and Porches – Repair or replace decayed materials and use metal flashing between the deck and house. Remove anything stored underneath the deck, as well as debris between deck boards or where it meets the house.
Patio Furniture – Move furniture and any other combustible items on your patio to the garage.
Flowerboxes – Remove if a wildfire is active in your area.
Wood Piles – Keep firewood stacks at least 30 feet from your house and other structures.
Propane Tanks – As with firewood, keep tanks no closer than 30 feet from structures.
Vehicles – Close all windows and back into the garage, or park well away from the house.
Mulch Around the Home – Mulch is flammable, so replace it with rock or gravel where it’s close to your home.
Branches and Shrubs – Make sure all are trimmed back. Replace flammable plants wherever possible.
Fortifying your home against embers is one important step in prepping for fire season. Download our checklist for fire readiness and creating a 100-foot defensible space around your home.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
No one knows what the upcoming school year will look like, thanks to coronavirus.What we do know, however, is that teachers and educational support professionals will need to be prepared for any scenario — schooling in person, hybrid classrooms, online learning, staggered scheduling, rotating teacher shifts, and more.
While there may not be much that you can control right now, you can do your best to prepare for the fall by reviewing what we already know about COVID-19 and applying that knowledge to your classroom plans.
If your school makes the decision to resume in-person classes, here are some guidelines issued by the CDC for schools (last updated May 19, 2020) and how you can prepare for them in the fall.
Social Distancing
The more time a student or staff member interacts with another, the higher the chance of contracting or passing on the virus. By now, we all know that that the term “social distancing” means staying at least 6 feet apart from one another, however, this may not be possible in your classroom. Before you get back into your classroom, take some time to consider ways that you can optimize your space by separating student desks, and workspaces the farthest that you can away from one another.
Respiratory Etiquette
It’s important for children to learn to sneeze and cough into their elbows, to help fight the spread of germs, including the virus that causes COVID-19. It is also important that hygiene supplies are placed close to each student, so that the potential virus spread is limited. Consider having multiple tissue stations placed around the room or have each child bring their own box that they can keep at their desk.
Face Masks
More and more cities are requiring face masks, and that may be the case for classrooms in the fall, especially for staff and older students. If masks become mandatory at your school you can either require students to bring their own, or make it fun and announce a mask theme for your entire class. You and students could even make your own and create a story around them. Remember this whole situation is just as hard on students as it is on adults; small actions like this have the potential to make their day a little brighter.
Health & Safety Messaging
The CDC recommends placing signs in highly visible areas, like entrances and restrooms, and your school may also require you to place them in your classroom. Pinterest has all kinds of hygiene posters that are free to print out and hang up! They also have hygiene lessons that teachers can easily incorporate into their lesson plans, to help remind younger students about the safety and importance of not spreading the virus.
Hand Hygiene
Students should wash their hands often for at least 20 seconds — especially if they have interacted with one another. When you sit down to lesson plan, keep in mind allowing time for more frequent and longer breaks to the restroom for handwashing. You should also have sanitizer (at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol) in multiple places in the room, readily available for all students, and/or ask students to bring their own.
Adequate Supplies
Along with having the correct sanitary supplies, you should also be prepared for the possibility that students will not be able to share school supplies with other students. Any crayons, markers, pencils, scissors, folders, books, etc. that are shared might have to be available to each student at their own desks. Take this into consideration when you are preparing supply lists for parents and when you are buying supplies for your classroom.
Cleaning & Disinfecting
If you are starting in-person classes in the fall, your school has also probably already started a cleaning and disinfecting regimen that will continue throughout the year. This may or may not require you to clean your own classroom; however, you should be prepared to do so. You will need to disinfect high-touch areas throughout the day like doorknobs, desks, hall-passes, and chairs. Try and disinfect as often as you can — between classes and at the end of the day — or create a schedule where the last ten minutes of class each student disinfects their own area.
Screening & Testing
As testing methods and standards continue to evolve, your school may adopt a screening and testing policy. Policies may include a protocol for temperature checks, guidelines for symptom screenings, and plans for rapid response to staff or students who exhibit signs of illness. Whatever protocol your school decides on, clear communications will be key to its success. Be prepared to stay informed on the plan, take steps outlined for educators, and communicate with parents as needed.
We may not know what this school year will look like, but we do know that our amazing teachers will do whatever they can to make it as enjoyable and “normal” as they can for our students.
Remember, if you can get through last spring, you can get through anything. Bring on back-to-school!
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
Less traffic has been hitting the roads, but cities and states across the country are actually seeing an increase in accidents- in adults and in teens. Fatal accidents involving teenagers has already hit an all-time high. Preliminary data from The National Safety Council indicates a 14% increase nationwide in fatal miles driven in the spring of 2020, compared to 2019.
While many people across the country stay inside and continue their “new normal” – working from home and only leaving the house when necessary, drivers on the less crowded roadways may be prone to take advantage of open lanes of traffic by driving recklessly, resulting in fatal accidents.
States all across the country have experienced increases in roadway deaths including California, Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
If you have to get back on the road, follow these safety tips to avoid a deadly collision.
Brush Up on Traffic Rules & Regulations
It’s never a bad idea to re-familiarize yourself with traffic laws, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve been behind the wheel. Before you get back on the road, take some time to go over basic traffic rules and regulations for your state, and minimize the risk of getting in an accident.
Don’t Speed
Speeding is a bad habit that most of us are guilty of, and when traffic is light the urge to speed increases (especially on the interstate). Not only is speeding against the law, but it also makes the road extremely dangerous for everyone on it. Speeding alone causes over 100,000 deaths every year. With clear roadways during the pandemic, more drivers are speeding to get to their destination causing fatal accidents. Avoid injuring yourself and/or others, and don’t speed.
Drive Defensively
It’s more important than ever to stay alert and aware when you are on the road. Defensive driving is a set of driving skills that allow you to defend yourself against possible collisions caused by other drivers. These skills include: preparing to react to other drivers, avoiding distractions, and planning for the unexpected. You should always drive defensively, even if you are obeying all of the traffic laws, because other drivers may not be.
Watch Out For Pedestrians
In the early months of the pandemic, we saw more and more people turn to walking and biking for socially distant exercise, and many people have kept up with these healthy habits. When you are behind the wheel stay alert and keep an eye out for pedestrians that may be biking in streets or using crosswalks.
Educate Your Young Driver
Every May – September is considered the “100 Deadliest Days” for young drivers, as many hit the road for the first time (even during the pandemic). Teens are inexperienced behind the wheel, which makes them more susceptible to reckless and distracted driving – the number one killer of teens in America. Pair inexperience and reckless driving with an increase in fatal accidents and you have a recipe for disaster. Before your young driver gets behind the wheel this summer, educate them on following the rules of the road, even when there is no traffic. For more tips on teaching your teen driver click here.
Lastly, Make Sure You Have the Proper Coverage. Although this will not help you avoid a collision, it will save you time and money in the event you do get into an accident. While collision rates are on the rise, it’s important, now more than ever, to have the right auto insurance protection for when you get back on the road. This will not only help with out-of-pocket expenses due to an accident, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing that your insurance is one thing you don’t have to worry about during these trying and uncertain times.
Drive smart and stay safe. For more auto insurance tips click here.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
